"What a better place to start with a story of undiscovered places but North East. It blossomed to me, of freshness, simplicity and friendships. It rightly spoke about what Jorge Luis Borges said “So plant your own gardens and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.” Hence I brought back my own leaves. In every form."

Thank You Sadhna for this absolutely beautiful picture and thought.

Sadhna Prasad is a freelance visual designer based in Bangalore.

"I love the gamosa for it's simplicity and beautiful patterns. The fact that it symbolizes hospitality and is gifted as a mark of respect and friendship makes it a special piece. Got the gamosa from a craftperson while visiting her house. I bought the jewellery from Dibrugarh I think. I was on a jewellery phase and wanted to have a bit of Assam in my collection." 

Thank you Ramya Mohan for this pretty picture. You surely are a true fan of North-East.

Ramya Mohan is Freelance Textile Designer based in Chennai.

Fascinating Faraways

"Ever since I read about the North Eastern states and the tribes back in my Grade 4 Social Studies book, I wanted to go there! With time, my curiosity about the region grew and so did the love for its cuisine, culture and crafts. Finally came this summer, and the much awaited travel. 17 days of mountains, lush forests, misty mornings, delicious food, stinging leeches, beautiful handicrafts, jittery sumo rides and some very lovely people!

The itinerary included backpacking through Meghalya and Nagaland; the regions of Khasis, Angamis, Aos and Konyaks.

Apart from the memories and photographs, I tried to bring back as much of the beautiful stuff with me as would fit in the luggage!

Woodcarving (Konyak Tribe) figurines (man & woman), and a carved box with a strap -  made from a single piece of wood - used as a lunch/ snack bag to hold dry meat and rice wine during festivals. This one came with some wild-boar tusks which I removed before bringing them on the outbound flight with me.

 Beaded jewelry (Konyak tribe) bought at village Longwa and village Mon.

Rice husking trays from Khasi Hills.

Soaking in the blissful monsoon

On the right are the Naga Weaves from Angami, Ao and Konyak tribes and meeting the last of the legendary Konyak warriors were experiences that truly make this travel one of the most memorable!"

Thank You Somya for sharing your wonderful experience of a childhood dream.

Somya Jajor is a design faculty in Dubai. 

"Tribe Stripes : This Karbi shawl is about 25 years old. It was gifted to my father when he visited Karbi Anglong in Assam by the village weavers. My mother gave me this shawl when I moved to Europe. I wear it everyday literally as it keeps me very warm and cozy from the cold. It's almost like my second skin and I have not got bored of it despite wearing it every damn single day. I love the tribe stripes and the colours of it brighten up the gloomy winter here !!!!" 

THANK YOU Kannakee Bhuyan for this nostalgic image, we can see how much you miss home.

Kannakee Bhuyan is a filmmaker from Assam based in Netherlands.

"I got this himalayan mask for myself from Sikkim. I have a personal fascination for masks because i feel there is a sense of universalism in how masks have evolved in human civilisations across the world and how it occupies a central role in religion, rituals, dance, story-telling, magic and drama. Masks give us the alter-ego, to transform someone beyond who we really are. It also hides our realidentities and invoke within us a super-identity. It makes us heroic, and this can often motivate us to perform beyond our call of duty, like our super-heroes do, often wearing masks. The real masks of the world are now getting slowly replaced by our social media masks where we can often be someone else from who we actually are, or remain completely anonymous too"

Thank you Ayan for this wonderful picture and such a deep thought.

Ayan Ghosh is a freelance photographer and researcher at Sahapedia

"My love for simple, natural and practical design and cooking comes together in these beautiful ceramics from Manipur. They are both elegant and robust. They stand out in their simplicity. You can feel the handcrafted black clay. Any food looks good in the bowls and on the plates because of the contrast with the black ceramics. The tea pot is again both outstanding in its beautiful design, cute as well soft because of its oval shape. Apart from all the aesthetics, they are also super practical; they can stand heat very well so you can put the tea pot directly on the fire. Now I just need to expand my set with big bowls (which I can make stews in since they can go on fire), salad bowls etc."

Thanks a lot Natalie for this beautiful insight all the way from Goa.

Natalie Lycops is from Belgium currently living in Goa.

"What you see is a glimpse of what I call ‘my little Manipur’ and no, these weren’t bought from a local craft fair, but carefully handpicked from my visit to the districts around Imphal.

I landed there with a bunch of students, to work with and for an NGO based out of a nearby village and that is where I unearthed these jewels of Manipur.

The Phanek (wrap around skirts) are from the Ima Market in Imphal, a market so famous, because it is run only by women. The market boasts of anything and everything from textiles to puja items, baskets, vegetables and fish and is a treat to the senses! You can see the ladies chewing the betel nuts, making a hearty conversation and attending to customers all at once. 

The basket is made from Kouna, a rare kind of reed that grows only in Manipur and has a great admirer in me for the kind of workmanship that is possible with them. So I had to pick a few of them and yes, I take them proudly to every picnic I go to.

Given my obsession for tea, I could not stay away from the tea cups, when I spotted them in an emporium in Imphal, even more so because they boasted of being Lungpi pottery. Yet again, a craft and raw material specific to Manipur alone, these pounded black stone potteries are a family favourite.

The north-east of India has always had a special place in my heart. Having travelled to most of the states, I still long to go and explore more each time. The vibrancy, the simplicity and the rootedness always cast a spell on me and invite me back.

These artefacts are a reminder of the diversity that our country has to offer and they embody the place, its people and their stories."

Thanks a lot Tulip for this wonderful description about NorthEast. This is simply beautiful.

Tulip Sinha Neel is a faculty at Shristi School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore